Farmers and Photography

There are an overwhelming amount of things to talk about when I try to describe this White Spring Ranch Museum. In the future, I will cover other aspects besides photography. But this family in Genesee, Idaho was remarkable in their ability to document daily life with their much loved Eastman Kodak and Argus cameras. So in this issue I’m writing about this 3rd generation. Dan and Jim Lorang were sons of Henry Lorang, grandsons of John and were also very talented photographers. Dan’s older brother Jim was studying photography quite diligently and learning to take very high quality closeups of his brothers, sisters and friends, when he was called into service during WWII. Jim had also studied radios, built his own radio/record player and then became a Radar man, serving aboard ship in extremely dangerous situations in the Pacific, Leyte, Iwo Jima and Okinawa and more. He was called back during the Korean War. We have two photographs of Jim in the service when he handed his camera to his friend and they are each remarkable. Later Jim Lorang was given a citation for his work with the team which designed, tested and constructed the terminal descent and landing radars for 3 Lunar missions—the Lunar Surveyor, Lunar Apollo and Mars Viking. Then there is Dan. I have written previously about the younger brother, Dan Lorang and his introduction and marriage to Janet Shollenberger; but before all this Dan was a playful, but shy guy in Genesee High School and he took several photographs, starting Sophomore year, 1945. One of his first photos was inside Genesee High School of sister Lois studying. A copy of this is now up at the High School thanks to school librarian Heidi Waisanen. Dan took photos of his friends in class and also outside one day, on the November “Sadie Hawkins” Day. It was a popular dance where the students dressed up like cartoonist Al Capp’s “Li’l Abner” characters. Wikipedia says “The idea took off in real life in November 1938, when the first recorded “girls-ask-boys” Sadie Hawkins Day dance was held. In 1939, Life magazine reported that more than 200 colleges had held Sadie Hawkins Day events.” The girls would also have props of wooden paddles that were signed by classmates. If you see one of the many of these paddles around the Palouse area, they were not used for punishment. These were just friendly props for classmates to sign.

Dan Lorang entered the service immediately after High School in 1948. He wanted to go with his buddy Donnie Carbuhn and the two young men signed up. Dan ended up on the 2 year old aircraft carrier, the Valley Forge. Classmate Donnie served elsewhere and wrote to Dan.

“United States Navy, Aug. 1948 I got back down here all right but am a little homesick now. The Navy is treating me all right I haven’t been in trouble yet, but there is always a first time. You won’t get in trouble as long as you do as you are told. The hardest part of it, the beginning when you first get here and it gets easier as you go along. The food is pretty good and you get lots of it so you won’t go hungry. Our outfit just got on schedule three days ago and so far there hasn’t been much work to it, about all we do is practice marching which is easy if you pay attention to his commands. We have a damn good C.O or Chief. He lets us go to the movies about twice a week. The only place you will have trouble is being a non-swimmer, but they will teach you pretty quick so there is nothing to worry about. The companys are coming in pretty fast so we might get only 8 weeks boot training. Your Pal, Donnie P.S. Write soon and tell me about whats going on up especially about any new stuff in the territory if you know what I mean. Down here we haven’t seen a girl in 2 weeks.”

Dan wrote to his family soon after,

“United States Navy, Sept. 5 Dear: Dad & all Well here I am again, I finally found time to write again. O boy, what a time? If there were anyone that gets homesick here they sure the hek haven’t had time to yet. I have never been so busy in all my life. Boy I sure been lucky in the last week the rest of kids all have had 2-3 watch and I just drew my first one, it is 02000400 so not much sleep tonight, as if a guy could over sleep in here from 10 P.M. to 4 A.M. I never thought in the Navy one would learn as much about marching as I have. I know that grinder inch by inch. Doing right flank to left turns. I took my swimming test the other day. Boy that pool didn’t look 10 feet deep when I jumped in, to make a stab-at learning how to swim. Boy am I glad that life guard was on the “ball” with that pole. I have been rolling clothes every second that I have off. They tell me that that rolling clothes is some good to you in the future in the navy. But who is going to spend 20 years in the Navy so you can become a C.P.O. so you can be a Co. comander.

How is the work coming at home? Did you get the peas cut? huh? Is Jim & John going to WSC. this fall? What is Stan doing and what is his adress. Is Joan still home? How is every one? I had to go to muster it is 8:45 P.M. now. I got checked out on my duty to my self, the Navy in general & my ship mates, from fire & theft. We have a 2 and half day holliday in which we can-

-roll the rest of our clothes and wash our dirty ones and lear(n) the 11 general orders and morse code over Labor day. In our Co. of 90 there is 9 from the north and the rest are stricly souther(n) with all of the “You all” and the slow speech. I caught up with Carbuhn the other day. Everywhere I went I ask about him, every Co. I asked if he was in their Co. and final found out he was in Co. 366 and (I) was about to sneak out for a five to find him, and one night from chow I had a feeling that he was wateing for me at the Camp, and behold when I got there, there he was. As for as I can see all this Navy adds up to is hurry up and wate. I sure miss home but tonight was the first night to feel a little lonely. Hope I get some mail soon, the mail calls are just another thing as for a I am concerned. Love Dan”

Dan served two years on the Valley Forge and took some wonderful photographs. He then returned home and was called back again for the Korean War. The next two years were spent on the island of Guam in the Construction Battalion or CB’s. Here in 1951, he began to photograph in color. So the daily lives of the Guam CB’s or SeaBees were then recorded.

Dan Lorang recorded history of this Ranch for another 50 years after graduating high school, before passing in the Fall of 1998. He wrote down what his father, Henry had told him; the list of trees originally on the Ranch, the dimensions of the walls of the blacksmith shop and cellar which are no longer here. He tried to record this site as a Century Farm, now done. He recorded his life after returning home and preserved all of his father’s and grandfather’s collection. So we continue to preserve this site in Dan’s honor as something he tried so hard to do.

Check out our building archive at: www.WhiteSpringRanch.org and see what we’ve found.